Stories of the First-Year Experience

Cristina Varsavsky (Lecturer - Faculty of Science)

I am always looking forward to the start of the academic year. It is nice to have a break, but I find the November-February period a bit too lonely and somewhat dull. When students come in in late February, the university campus becomes alive again. Also, since I am mainly working with first year students, there is the additional excitement of meeting new students.

The first couple of weeks are usually very good, students are very enthusiastic about being in this new world, and have a very positive learning attitude. But, I know that this is only a honey moon period. Somewhere around week four, the mood of many students starts changing. What happens?

Well - there is so much happening around the place: meeting new and old friends, the music bands in the lawn, the sports activities, the many groups and associations to become part of, the part-time job, - and the freedom to do what they want to do and be where they want to be. So first they skip a lecture here and there (they've done some of that stuff at school anyway - will get the notes from someone), then find some reasons for postponing assigned work and readings, and after a few weeks they realise that the notes from their friends are not so clear after all and they understand very little of what is going on in lectures and what is expected of them. But there is still plenty of time until the end-of-semester exams; they will catch up, or so they think. And then, the shock. All subjects will be examined in the period of less than 10 days; how could they possibly prepare for all these exams? Student advisers and counsellors become very busy at this time of the year.

My experience in teaching first year mathematics is that attending lectures and tutorials and keeping up with the assigned work equals success. Unsuccessful first-year students are most likely to have skipped lectures or have not done the assigned work. I do make every effort - and I am sure many of my colleagues do the same - to provide continuous assessment and feedback to help students to develop good study habits. I strongly encourage students to make the most of the continuous assessment opportunities they are given to avoid stress and complications and lead a healthy and enjoyable student life.